Metro Hotels Provides Spiritual Book to Guests as a Source of Inspiration

In a world-first, Australian-owned hotel chain Metro Hotels will place a book called Jing Si Aphorisms in all rooms in its NSW and Queensland properties, to enable guests to learn more about the Buddhist compassionate relief organisation, Tzu Chi Foundation.

The Foundation first came to the attention of the hotel chain when it went unasked to the aid of Ipswich residents, giving out care packages following the devastating 2011 floods. 

The hotel chain’s Ipswich property, Metro Hotel Ipswich International, built a relationship with the Foundation and offered to put books in its rooms so that its guests would learn more about the work and philosophy of the organisation.

Metro Hotels decided to extend this offer to other properties, with Metro Hotel Sydney Central General Manager Earl Muir yesterday accepting a special presentation of the books from Julia Wu, principal of Tzu Chi Foundation, Gold Coast, and Stephen Kan, CEO of Tzu-Chi Sydney.

The book, Jing Si Aphorisms, translates the essence of the Buddha’s teachings to exemplify life lessons. ‘Aphorism’ means original thought, or definition, and rather than being a religious text the book is meant to be an explanation of the Buddhist faith. 

Mr Muir said the Tzu Chi Foundation, which lives by the creed that it is more of a blessing to serve others than be served, believes in service to the community and has demonstrated its commitment to this belief through its actions in Ipswich.

“This organisation has shown tremendous compassion and service to Australian communities when they are in need and Metro Hotel believes it is an organisation which Australians may want to know more about,” he said.

“Placing Jing Si Aphorisms in our hotel rooms gives guests another reading option to the Holy Bible. The book is being supplied as a source of inspiration to our guests. This is not about converting people from one religion to another but rather promoting harmony and diversity.” 

See this press release and more at Metro Hotels News

Coming Soon to Capitol Theatre Sydney: Wicked - The Broadway Musical

Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz.

One, born with emerald green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

When WICKED opened on Broadway, it worked its magic on critics and audiences alike. Winner of 35 major awards including a Grammy®, three Tony Awards® and six Helpmann Awards including Best Musical, WICKED has been described as the “Best Musical of the Decade.” Entertainment Weekly

After its success on Broadway, in North America, London, Germany, Japan and Australia, WICKED will return to Sydney in 2014 for a strictly limited season.

Click on the link and “Add to Favourites” to be the first in line to get tickets for this spectacular show in Sydney! 

Sydney Festival Unveils 2014 Lineup

Mike Patton Performing Luciano Berio’s 1965 composition Laborintus II

Classical performances from Mike Patton and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, and a tribute to Big Star’s cult 1978 albumThird/Sister Lovers lead the Sydney Festival program for 2014.

The performance of Big Star’sThird will see the last remaining musician from the band, drummer Jody Stephens, joined by REM’s Mike Mills, The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow and guest local and international artists. Lee Ranaldo will perform his new work Hurricane Transcriptions on a double bill alongside Mike Patton, who will be performing Luciano Berio’s 1965 composition Laborintus III, which is described as “a montage of spoken word, instrumentation and electronics.”

The festival, which will once again take over the city from January 9 – 26, also includes performances from former Battles frontman Tyondai Braxton, solo artist John Grant, post-punk survivor Edwyn Collins (Orange Juice), Daptone’s Lee Fields & The Expressions, electronic duo Matmos, avant-jazz saxophonist and Arcade Fire/Bon Iver collaborator Colin Stetson, punk-cabaret provocateur Amanda Palmer and former Bad Seed Mick Harvey revisiting his albums of Serge Gainsbourg’s interpretationsIntoxicated Man and Pink Elephants.

Other festival highlights include Laneway festival’s Kurt Vile playing two shows – a solo set and a full-band gig – off the back of his recent album Walkin on a Pretty Daze; Bombino, the acclaimed electric guitarist from Niger, playing a Falls sideshow; and Malian duo Amadou & Mariam returning to Australia with their “multi-sensory experience” Eclipse. While the festival has abandoned its traditional free opening-night party, disco star Chaka Khan will play a free show in the Domain gardens on January 11.

MAJOR EVENTS

Lee Ranaldo’s Hurricane Transcriptions / Mike Patton’s Laborintus III with Ensemble Offspring & The Song Company
City Recital Hall – January 16

Big Star’s Third
Enmore Theatre, January 23

Chaka Khan
The Domain – January 11

Amadou & Mariam’s Eclipse
Sydney Town Hall, January 9-11

So Frenchy So Chic in The Park – Lou Doillon, Lilly Wood & The Prick, Féfé and Circus Babylon
St John’s College, University of Sydney – January 18

Tyondai Braxton’s HIVE + Canyons & Daniel Boyd’s 100 Million Nights
Concert Hall Sydney Opera House, January 21

Matmos
City Recital Hall, January 15

Sun Ra Arkestra
State Theatre, January 18

Ambrose Akinmusire
City Recital Hall, January 11
The Spiegeltent, January 12

FESTIVAL VILLAGE

Amanda Palmer
The Spiegeltent, January 9-19

Tom Thum
Circus Ronaldo Tent, January 21-26

Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers
The Spiegeltent, January 8
Parramatta Opening Party, January 10

Bombino
The Spiegeltent, January 9-10
The Lennox, Parramatta, January 11

Chris Thile
The Spiegeltent, January 14 – 15
The Lennox, Parramatta, January 16

Samaris
The Spiegeltent, January 16 – 17

Edwyn Collins
The Spiegeltent, January 19 – 21
The Lennox, Parramatta, January 18

The Staves
The Spiegeltent, January 22 – 23
Sutherland Entertainment Centre, January 24

Sinkane
The Spiegeltent, January 24 & 26

C.R. Avery & The Sojourners
Circus Ronaldo Tent, January 9 – 10

Dom Flemons
Circus Ronaldo Tent, January 11 – 12

Kurt Vile
Circus Ronaldo Tent, January 23

Colin Stetson
Circus Ronaldo Tent, January 25 – 26

Hot Dub Time Machine
The Spiegeltent, January 11, 18 & 25

Donny Benet & The Donny Benet Show Band
The Spiegeltent, January 10, 17 & 24

Lee Fields & The Expressions
The Spiegeltent, January 19

Funki Porcini
The Spiegeltent, January 16

Andrew Weatherall
The Spiegeltent, January 26

PARADISO AT TOWN HALL

John Grant and John Murry
January 16

Modular Night – Juan Atkins, Movement, Roland Tings, Wordlife and Softwar
January 17

Orquesta Tipica Fernandez Fierro
January 18

Mick Harvey: Intoxicated Man
January 19

Kurt Vile & The Violators
January 22

Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins with DJ Romes
January 23

Future Classic – Jacques Renault, Medlar, Touch Sensitive, Wave Racer
January 24

Soil & Pimp Sessions
January 25

The Soft Pink Truth
January 16

Andy Votel
January 19

Tyondai Braxton
January 22

- See more at: http://sydneycbdhotels.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/sydney-festival-unveils-2014-lineup.html#sthash.1Hh2SQZ4.dpuf

Lion King Tickets On Sale Now!

Got tickets to the Lion King musical?  Stay close to Capitol Theatre at Metro Hotel on Pitt!

Book this Lion King Package for $260.00* per night including:

• One night's accommodation in a Superior Deluxe Queen Room
• A bottle of wine on arrival
• 2 course Pre-theatre Dinner at Palace Hotel Sydney for 2 adults
• Extended check-out to 12 noon the following day

Book this hotel package: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special/254

Don't have tickets to Lion King? Get tickets now from Ticketmaster website: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/Disney-Presents-The-Lion-King-Australia-tickets/artist/820969

See PDF for full show schedule to pick your date: Capitol Theatre Show Schedule Lion King

* * * * * * * * * *

“THERE IS SIMPLY NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT” The New York Times

Seen by over 65 million people, Disney’s landmark musical event The Lion King is a worldwide phenomenon that will redefine your expectations of theatre. Brilliantly re-imagined by acclaimed director Julie Taymor, Disney beloved film is transformed into a spectacular theatrical experience which has won over 70 major international theatre awards.

Set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains, this breathtaking production explodes with glorious colours, stunning effects and unforgettable music including Elton John and Tim Rice’s Circle of Life, Hakuna Matata and the academy award winning Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

Lady Gaga Set for VIP Repeat in Sydney as Southern Cross Austereo Negotiates Deal

Lady Gaga performs her first Monster Ball show at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in 2010

IT was one of the must-see events of 2011 and Lady Gaga looks set to return to Sydney Town Hall for a repeat performance. 

It's understood radio network Southern Cross Austereo is in talks with the US singer's music label to stage an intimate concert during a break in an upcoming tour, with February the most likely month.
A SCA spokesperson wouldn't confirm the plans.

However, music industry sources say the network is in the final stages of negotiations.

Dubbed the 'Monsters Ball' and staged at Town Hall in July 2011, it was hailed a massive success for SCA as well as commercial partners, Vodafone and MCM Media. The invite-only show cost $1 million.

Street Food Makes More Inroads Into City's Back Lanes

Transformed: An artist's impression of what Central Street will look like from George Street.

Two city laneways will no longer be the scene of garbage collectors, workers on a smoke break and pedestrians taking shortcuts.

The City of Sydney council will transform Wilmot and Central streets, which link George and Pitt streets near Event Cinemas, into food destinations packed with pop-up carts, alfresco dining areas and live music, it announced on Wednesday. The eat streets will be closed to traffic and feature video projections and LED lighting.

"[The laneways] have been important pedestrian thoroughfares for more than a century," lord mayor Clover Moore said. "But their design doesn't reflect this, with poor lighting and narrow footpaths that force people to walk on the roadway. Given their prime location in Sydney's entertainment precinct, we want to reclaim them as safer and more relaxing spaces for pedestrians.''

The project is the latest undertaken by the council as part of a multimillion-dollar revitalisation program launched in 2009 to emulate Melbourne's laneway culture. Ash Street and Angel Place near Wynyard are now food hubs in their own right. Rundown laneways earmarked for conversion include Bulletin Place, Lees Court and York Lane.

The council will call for building tenders for work to begin in March. It expects the project to take 30 weeks to complete.

Wilmot and Central laneways back onto Koreatown's strip of restaurants and Asian supermarkets. Korean Society of Sydney president Luke Song said the group plans to operate at least six food carts in the revamped laneways in a similar vein to the street food available in Seoul.

''We're very excited. We want to create a Koreatown and make it an area more attractive to tourists,'' he said. ''We will be offering Korean barbecue and also Chinese and other international foods. There will be variety.''

Arvin Ramalimgam, licensee of The Metro music venue, which has sat at the intersection of George and Central streets for 25 years, felt uneasy about the project when he heard about it six months ago.
''I was slightly sceptical as we used the laneway as a pick-up and drop-off zone,'' he said. ''But we sat down with the council and we were happy it will be a shared space.''

Mr Ramalimgam believes George Street lacks the pulling power of comparable thoroughfares in London and New York. ''Broadway and Oxford Street are tourist highlights, but George Street just seems to be a pathway from one end of the city to the other. The change is a good thing because it will increase pedestrian activity.''

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Sydney City Hotels Filling Fast For Australian Garden Show

Garden lovers from around Australia and overseas are expected to flock to Sydney in September when the city hosts the inaugural Australian Garden Show in Centennial Park from September 5-8, 2013.

A NSW Government event, The Australian Garden Show will be held in the Brazilan Fields West in Centennial Park, and is expected to quickly gain national and international credibility, attracting garden lovers from around the world.

Accommodation in the city is expected to be at a premium for the spring event, so garden enthusiasts are advised to book now to avoid disappointment.

Metro Hotel Sydney Central and Metro Hotel on Pitt are two properties located within walking distance of Centennial Park, with both hotels offering a range of affordable packages.

Metro Hotel Sydney Central is the Metro Hospitality Group’s flagship property on the corner of Pitt and Hay Streets in the heart of Sydney. The hotel recently completed a two year refurbishment that saw a complete upgrade of its rooms and facilities, and its location opposite the Capitol Theatre in the Entertainment Precinct makes it the perfect choice for garden enthusiasts wanting to be close to the Park so they can make the most of the day.

Also located on Pitt Street, Metro Hotel on Pitt is a stylish boutique hotel closer to the city centre and better suited for guests wanting to mix a visit to the Garden Show with some shopping and sightseeing in the heart of the city. A short bus trip will take you to the show.

The event has been designed as the ultimate garden showcase and will appeal not only to experienced gardeners, landscapers and designers but also novices and the many people who just like to admire the handiwork of other people’s green thumbs and creativity.

The Australian Garden Show Sydney will combine display gardens designed by leading landscape architects, workshops presented by gardening gurus and personalities, a potting tent for children, products to purchase and a high tea marquee which, come nightfall, transforms into a floral cocktail bar setting – complemented by the now established Centennial Park Light Garden.

The Australia Garden Show Sydney also coincides with Centennial Park’s 125th Anniversary, providing another reason to visit the show in its first year.Metro Hotel Sydney Central and Metro Hotel on Pitt are located less than five kilometres from Centennial Parklands, and can be reached by bus, train or on foot.

Book accommodation at Metro Hotel properties by calling the toll free Central Reservations line on 1800 004 321. Alternatively bookings can be made online at www.metrohotels.com.au.